1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a railroad track ballast tamping device and, more specifically, to a split tool tamper having a single tamping tool which may be operated independently of any adjacent tamping tools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The ballast underlying a railroad track must be compressed during the installation of new track or repairing old track. The typical means for compressing the railroad track ballast is to vibrate and/or tamp the ballast using a tamping machine. A tamping machine typically consists of two pairs of tamping tools connected to a common vibrating device. The vibrating device causes the tamping tools to oscillate rapidly about the axis of an output shaft. Typically a pair of tamping tools are in a spaced relation to each other so that the tamping tools are located on either side of a rail. One pair of tamping tools is located on one side of a railroad tie and the other pair of tamping tools is located on the opposite side of the railroad tie. For example, a twin shaft vibrator may be provided with tool shafts which are approximately 504 mm apart. Typically, the tamping device is mounted on a railroad vehicle.
Because tamping devices are structured to have a pair of tamping tools which are positioned to be on either side of the railroad rail, the area between converging and/or diverging rails, such as at a railroad switch or crossing, cannot be accessed by the parallel tamping tools. To overcome this disadvantage, railroad tamping tools mounted on single side of a rail have been manufactured, see e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,810. This tamping device, however, still provides two tamping tools which are operated by a single vibrating device. This configuration has similar disadvantages to the prior art in that substantial portions of the ballast adjacent to the switch and/or crossing may remain untamped.
There is, therefore, a need for a tamping device which is capable of tamping substantially all of the railroad ballast including those portions of ballast disposed adjacent to switches and/or crossings.
There is a further need for a railroad tamping device having a tamping tool which is capable of acting independently of other tamping tools of the tamping device.
These needs and others are satisfied by the invention which provides for a split tool tamping device having a single tamping tool extending therefrom. The split tool tamping device may be mounted on a railroad vehicle adjacent to other tamping devices. The split tool tamping device, however, may be operated independently of any adjacent tamping device.
This invention includes a vibrating device, such as a motor having a rotating output shaft, a conversion device which converts the rotational motion of the hydraulic motor to an oscillating rotational motion, a tool shaft connected to the conversion device, and a tamping tool connected to the tool shaft. The motor may be mounted on a frame which is attached to a railroad vehicle.
It is an object of this invention to provide a split tool tamper which includes a motor coupled to a frame and a tool shaft coupled at one end to the motor and terminating in a single tamping tool.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a split tool tamper having a motor with a rotating output shaft and a conversion device that converts the rotational motion of the output shaft into a reciprocating rotational motion in a tool shaft.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a split tool tamper that may be coupled to conventional railroad vehicles.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a split tool tamper that does not interfere with the operation of any adjacent tamper.